The present invention relates to a tremolo device for a stringed musical instrument. More particularly, the invention relates to a tremolo device which effectuates a desired substantially uniform change in pitch of all the strings of the instrument upon rotation of a portion of the device in relation to the stringed instrument.
Tremolo devices come in many forms but almost all involve some sort of rotation that simultaneously tightens or loosens all of the strings of the musical instrument. A tightened string produces a higher pitch. The musician typically operates an arm on the device, which in turn rotates a portion of the tremolo device to loosen or tighten the strings.
Tremolo devices currently available for electric guitars and other stringed instruments have at least the following shortcomings. Some tremolo devices change the pitch of the various strings by significantly different amounts. As a result, they do not accurately “bend” chords. In other tremolo devices, retuning one string results in the modification of the pitch of another previously tuned string. Yet other devices can not be readily modified to change the pitch of the strings by equal amounts when the strings are tuned in an alternative tuning pattern of relative pitches, even for the relatively few devices that change the pitch of the various strings by essentially equal amounts when standard tuning is used.
Some tremolo devices include activator arms that require a relatively large force to operate them. Existing tremolo devices are also typically very expensive and beyond the abilities of an average musician to set up, maintain, and modify. These devices cannot be modified in a reasonable amount of time by the musician to transform a chord accurately to another chord. For example, a chord progression from A (minor) to G (major) is a popular progression. It is more satisfying to the user to change the chord from the A (minor) to G (major) via a glissando, i.e., a smooth, continuous decrease in pitch.
However, almost all existing tremolo devices destroy the intended relationship between the pitches of the various strings when the device is used to make any significant tonal modification. Typically, the string most sensitive to the changes in tension will change in pitch roughly three to four times that of the least sensitive string. In other words, almost all existing tremolo devices essentially destroy chords.
Another shortcoming of existing tremolo devices is that when one string is tightened when retuned, such extra tension compresses a spring that counterbalances the device and reduces the pitches of the remaining strings. Therefore, the tuning of one string usually causes the remaining strings to go out of tune slightly thus requiring the instrument to be retuned several times before all strings are in tune. Such tremolo devices may require recalibration of the entire unit.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a tremolo device that overcomes the above-mentioned shortcomings and others while providing better and more advantageous overall results. Other aspects of the invention will become apparent from reading the following detailed description.